Thanks to a Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments pilot program, Charleston County businesses now have the opportunity to access more frequent curbside glass collection and additional glass recycling services. That combination will translate into cost offsets for companies and reduced landfill waste for all residents.

Charleston County Environmental Management has endorsed Fisher Recycling efforts to collect and recycle glass, and the company is now providing business curbside glass collection up to six times per week. About 20 percent of the glass collected will be repurposed as high-quality, custom countertops.

The move comes as part of a statewide mandate to reduce waste in landfills, and Charleston County’s recently unveiled plan for an efficient recycling program includes a 57,000 square-foot recycling center set to come online in 2018. The county will continue trucking recyclables out of its jurisdiction in the interim and Fisher Recycling curbside collection will dramatically reduce the amount of glass being transported.

Commercial curbside glass collection through Fisher Recycling is for glass materials only to ensure proper handling and processing. The company is committed to recycling 100 percent of all glass collected, with a portion set for reuse in their locally manufactured GlassEco products, which have been featured on Houzz and Charleston Home + Design.

There is a convenience charge for curbside glass collection and businesses can register by calling (843) 554-6099 or emailing info@fisherrecycling.com. The collection services include easily identifiable wheeled carts, cans for in-house use and education for business owners and staff.

Origins

The Fisher-Charleston County partnership was aided by the COG’s BCD Tri-county Glass Recovery Project pilot program. The effort, which kicked off in 2016 with funding from the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, was aimed at promoting awareness of dedicated glass donation and recycling as ways to direct waste from landfills in the region.

“Large employers, institutions and food and beverage establishments were targeted throughout the region, as they are among the largest glass waste generators and have the ability to make a high waste diversion impact,” said Jeff Hajek, a planner with the BCDCOG.

A five-month investigative period to determine interest in glass recycling was followed by an initial three-month glass-collecting test phase during which 52 tons – or 104,000 pounds of glass – were gathered. With state grant funds from SCDHEC, BCDCOG purchased 161, bright green, 65-gallon recycling carts for commercial business participants to separately recycle glass waste.